Asia-Pacific markets opened mixed Wednesday, following gains on Wall Street ahead of a potential U.S. government shutdown as lawmakers continue to wrangle over details of a second temporary spending bill. Investors in Asia will look toward the Reserve Bank of India's rate decision late Wednesday. Japan's Nikkei 225 sunk 0.2% at its open, while the broad based Topix was down 0.85%. In South Korea, the blue-chip Kospi was up 0.94%, and the small-cap Kosdaq gained 0.84%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.32% in early trade. Markets on mainland China and Hong Kong were closed for a...
European equities turned red as investors began taking on board the risk of U.S. tariffs being snapped back on again. The Stoxx Europe 600 index fell by 0.5%. Regionally, while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was flat, France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX ended 0.8% and 0.6% lower, respectively. The British pound also gave up some of the gains from earlier in the session as one Bank of England official called for a more aggressive schedule of interest rate cuts this year. The head of pan-Scandinavian airline SAS told CNBC that European airline consolidation "needed a second phase," after Air France-KLM...
The Hang Seng lost 154 points or 0.6% to close at 23,916 on Friday, marking the second straight session of losses amid broad-based sector declines. The benchmark dropped 1.5% for the week, reversing gains from the prior period as investors grew cautious ahead of U.S. President Trump's July 9 tariff deadline. Adding pressure, China's commerce ministry finalized its EU brandy investigation, imposing tariffs of up to 34.9% for five years starting July 5. Market participants also eyed key Chinese data due next week—including June CPI and PPI amid lingering deflation risks. U.S. markets were...
Europe's stock markets are in the red across the board at the open, with the regional Stoxx 600 index down 0.4%, the U.K.'s FTSE 100 down 0.32%, Germany's DAX down 0.29% and France's CAC 40 down 0.72%. French drinks sellers are taking an early hit, with Pernod Ricard down 3.3%, Remy Cointreau down 4.5% and luxury giant LVMH down 2.1%, as news breaks that China's commerce ministry has issued a final ruling on its probe into European Union brandy. The investigation ruled that the bloc has engaged in dumping of the spirit, according to a Google translation of a ministry relief. According to...
The Nikkei 225 edged up 0.06% to close at 39,811, while the broader Topix slipped 0.04% to 2,828 on Friday, with both indexes ending the session virtually flat as renewed concerns over US tariff policy dampened investor sentiment. Market caution intensified after President Donald Trump announced plans to begin issuing letters on trade matters, potentially setting unilateral tariff rates. Trump has previously threatened to raise tariffs on Japanese goods by up to 35%, citing dissatisfaction with Japan's limited imports of American rice and automobiles. On the domestic front, household...
The Hong Kong stock market experienced a low opening followed by an expanded decline. The Hang Seng Index opened down by 169 points or 0.7%, standing at 23,900 points, breaching the 24,000 mark once more. The latest data reflects a drop of 377 points or 1.57%, settling at 23,692 points. The state-owned enterprise index also saw a downturn of 129 points or 1.5%, reaching 8,518 points, while the technology index reported 5,129 points, marking a decline of 103 points or 1.98%. The main board witnessed transactions exceeding 89.7 billion Hong Kong dollars. At 10.50am, the Hang Seng Index was...